Our newest lesson learned … You can prepare for the worst, or you can repair at your worst. That gem of wisdom comes about when you decide that the tent does not need the six extra tie-downs you packed because it looks like the wind is calming down at bed time. Perhaps the wind was tired and needed a break. Perhaps the wind always reaches maximum speed when you are in deepest sleep. In any case, it is a lot harder to put those six extra tie downs on the tent in your briefs at 2 am while your spouse is standing inside the tent stabilizing the poles so that they do not collapse. Another saying is “We have the wrong tent for a windy desert.”
The good news was the tent held through the night once the extra tie downs were in place. The bad news was that the wind was due to strengthen the following day. For Anza Borrego, a windy day is a steady 25 mph with gusts to 55. We punted on exploring in those conditions and hung a left at the turnoff for Julian, CA, recognizing the name from an earlier trip to San Diego where the locals raved about the Julian Pie Company. Hiking in high winds or eating a famous pie? Not a hard choice.
Switchbacking our way out of the desert and into the impossibly quaint mountain town of Julian, we arrived to a bustling Main Street. Hikers decked out in Patagonia and North Face ignored the 40 degree temperatures and loaded up on granola in the local Apple Cider store. Tourists from L.A. jockeyed for a rare parking spot and swiped the credit card on Julian hoodies and hats trying to get warm. We took a break from propane stove haute cuisine and dined at the Soup and Such. Like fine dining should be, everything was very good, very expensive, and very small. A slice of caramel apple a la mode at the Julian Pie Company later helped our still hungry bellies. The Julian B&B had rooms available, the temps were dropping and the wind was continuing to climb in the desert. Night time temperatures were predicted to be in the 30’s. Should we stay or should we go?
We spent a couple of hours in society’s greatest public service, the local library, where we got WIFI, a break from the wind and cold, and a bathroom. We would have pitched the tent right there if they let us. Alas, with the sun threatening to set, we left quaint, comfortable, kind-of-commercial Julian to scour the desert for somewhere to survive the night.
After four-wheeling into three canyons, we decided on a sandy spot in the lee of a small ridge in Cove Canyon. Conditions were too rough for a full camp so the tailgate became the kitchen and the front seats became the dining room while we ate a hearty, what we like to call not-fine-dining sized portion of tuna casserole and salad while waiting to see if the tent would stay up.
Frozen water in the Yeti mugs were a clue as to how low the temperature got. Two bent tent poles were evidence of how heavy the wind gusts got. Hot coffee and hot oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries helped shake off the sleepless night. Preparing it outside in the cold before the sun was up made us regret not staying at the Julian B&B. With camp to pack and dishes to clean, the two of us had a “Why are we doing this?” moment. The closest that we could come up with was that somewhere deep inside our sapien DNA we are still rewarded for overcoming harsh conditions.
A marathon finished, a peak summited, a storm survived all elevate happiness while the happiness bar simply re-normalizes when life gets easier. Shivering, dirty and tired but sort of happy we hit the seat warmers in Boss for the climb over the mountain pass and descent into Borrego Springs. Friends at Organ Pipe Cactus had said that Anza Borrego Desert State Park delivered showers and flowers. Just what we were looking for.
